When you decide where to put security cameras in a retail store, start with the places you would need proof after an incident. That means the front door, every register, high-value displays, the aisles, the stockroom and back door, and the cash office or safe, plus exterior cameras on the storefront and parking lot. Keep cameras out of restrooms and fitting rooms, and aim register cameras so they never show a customer’s PIN.
This guide takes a store one area at a time, from the front door to the back alley. The table near the end sums up every view, ready to mark on a floor plan.
What should each store camera be able to show?
Start with what goes wrong in stores: a theft from a display, a dispute at the register, stock that leaves by the back door. Each of those calls for an overview camera that shows where people went and a closer view that shows who they were. From one spot, a camera rarely does both well.
If something goes missing from a display near the back, the overview camera shows someone walking down the aisle toward it late in the afternoon. The camera at the door shows who it was. Planning retail security camera systems starts with a list of views like these, each with a stated purpose. The number of cameras follows from the list.
Where should cameras go at the store entrance?
Mount the entrance camera inside, facing the door, so people walk toward it. Set it back from the door rather than directly above it. A camera straight over the door looks down on the tops of heads and cap brims. One set back into the store sees faces at a gentler angle.
Glass is the next problem. A glass door or storefront window puts daylight behind everyone who walks in, which can turn faces into silhouettes. Wide dynamic range, or WDR, is the camera setting built for this. As Verkada’s documentation on wide dynamic range explains, it brightens dark areas and dims bright ones.
A gift shop with tall west-facing windows is the worst case. On a clear winter afternoon, low sun comes straight through the glass toward that camera. Check the picture at that hour before you settle on a mounting spot, not only in the morning when the installer is on site.
At night, cameras such as Verkada’s light the scene with infrared. Verkada warns that a wall, ledge or light source close to the camera can reflect it back and degrade the image, so give the lens clear space.
How should cameras cover the registers?
Put a camera above each register, looking down at the counter. It should show hands, the cash drawer, the items being rung up and the receipt. A second camera looking out from behind the counter records who was standing there. Self-checkout lanes need the same overhead view of the scanning area.
Keep the PIN pad out of the picture. The PCI Security Standards Council’s skimming prevention guidance for merchants (2014) says cameras should record the area around the PIN entry device but give no way to record or view the PINs entered. If a good register view also catches the keypad, mask that part of the image. Verkada calls this a privacy region. It blocks that area in live and recorded video once it takes effect, but not in footage recorded before, so set it at installation.
The PCI guidance has two more points to borrow. Staff on duty should not have free access to the cameras and recording equipment, so keep the network switch and any recorder locked away. And if a camera is moved, damaged or blocked, it says to examine the payment terminals right away.
How do you cover aisles and the sales floor?
Use overview cameras for the sales floor and tighter views for the merchandise most likely to walk out. Mount overview cameras high in corners or near the middle of the ceiling, where they can see along the main walkways.
A standard picture is wider than it is tall, which suits a room but not a long aisle. Turning the camera on its side gives a tall, narrow view instead. Verkada’s help pages describe changing a camera’s orientation this way to cover a long hallway, and an aisle works the same way.
Give high-value merchandise its own camera, aimed at the fixture, such as a locked case or a wall of phone accessories. Then watch for things that grow into the view. A new endcap display or a hanging sign can block a camera that worked on the day it went in, so check every view after a reset.
Which back-of-house and outdoor areas need cameras?
Cover every door that stock or cash passes through: the stockroom door, the receiving door and the door to the cash office. The safe gets its own fixed view.
Take a shop in a converted rowhouse on East Passyunk Avenue, narrow and deep, with the stockroom at the back and a door onto the alley. Deliveries come in through that door, trash goes out through it, and nobody at the register can see it. Put one camera inside that door to see what leaves, and one outside to see who is waiting.
Doors are also where cameras and access control work well together. A card reader on the stockroom door logs whose credential opened it, and a camera on the same door shows what that person carried.
Outside, cover the storefront and the parking lot so you can see people and vehicles after hours. A large lot can be beyond the reach of a camera’s built-in infrared. Verkada’s night mode guidance suggests checking each model’s night range and adding a longer-range infrared extender where the scene is too far away.
Where should a store never put a camera?
Never put a camera in a restroom, a fitting room or anywhere customers or staff change clothes. Never aim one so it can see into those spaces either. Cover the fitting room corridor or the attendant’s station instead.
Some areas are less clear, such as a staff break room. If you are unsure whether a space counts as private, or what notice staff and customers should get about cameras, ask an attorney before the camera goes up.
What should a store camera coverage checklist include?
Each row below is a view, not necessarily a separate camera.
| Area | What the camera should show | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Front door and other customer exits | A clear face of each person coming in | Inside, facing the door, set back from it |
| Each register and self-checkout lane | Hands, cash drawer, items and receipt | Overhead, with the PIN pad masked or out of view |
| Customer side of the counter | Who was at the register | Behind the counter, looking out |
| High-value displays | Who reached into the case or rack | Aimed at the fixture itself |
| Aisles and main walkways | Movement through the store | High corners; on its side for a long aisle |
| Fitting room corridor | Who went in and what they carried | The corridor or attendant station, never inside |
| Stockroom and receiving doors | Deliveries, returns and trash runs | Both sides of the back door |
| Cash office or safe | Who opened it, and when | A fixed view of the safe and counting desk |
| Storefront and parking lot | People and vehicles after hours | Outside, where there is enough light at night |
Mark each row on a floor plan. Most network cameras run on Power over Ethernet, so each mark is also a cable run back to a network switch. Plan the structured cabling for the cameras at the same time. If you have several stores, our guide to a multi-site camera rollout covers how to repeat the plan from one location to the next.
What does Logic LC do on a retail camera project?
Logic LC handles retail technology projects from site surveys and system design through installation, deployment and ongoing support. Before we design anything, our team works with you to understand the building, your security requirements, your technology needs and your goals for the store.
On site, we can carry out a technology assessment, collecting photographs, videos, measurements, cable-path information and equipment details. We use that information to develop the scope of work and proposal. If you already have cameras, we can help modernize the existing system around your current infrastructure.
We provide commercial security cameras nationwide and support businesses with multiple stores. Cloud-managed systems let authorized users view live and recorded footage remotely.
How do you prepare your store for a camera installation?
Walk the store yourself first, with a floor plan or a rough sketch. Mark every customer door, register, high-value display and back-of-house door. Note where light causes trouble, such as a sunny front window or a parking lot with one pole light. If you have had incidents, write down where they happened and what footage would have helped.
List what you already have: cameras, the recorder or cloud account, who holds the logins and where the network equipment lives. Cameras sit on your network, so if an outside IT company manages it, bring them in early. The account ownership points in our guide to questions to ask a managed IT provider apply to the camera system too.
After installation, test the system the way you will use it. Ring up a small sale and find it in the recording. Walk in through the front door at midday and again after dark, and check that your face is clear in both clips.
